Transcript Internet

Chapter 17
Citizenship
and the
Internet
Civic Participation
• The internet and the World Wide Web help
people communicate and collaborate
across borders.
• Mass communication of millions of
networked or connected computers all over
the world.
Internet
• Started in 1993
• ¾ of the US population has access to the
web
• There are more than a billion users
• Helps citizens stay informed and participate
in democracy
Gathering Information
• Current events
• Archives – files of older stories
• Not all web sites are nonpartisan
E-Government
• All levels of government have their own Web sites.
• Makes it easier:
– Learn about public policy
– to check on elected officials
– request services
– obtain drivers licenses or marriage licenses
Group Action Online
• Interest groups have their own Web sites
• Newsgroups or Internet discussion
forums provide another way to exchange
information and ideas.
Election Campaigns
• The Web is the best campaign tool since
the phone and television.
• Political party web sites
• Political blogs – personal online journals
• Grassroots web sites – citizens set up
their own web sites to support candidates
Challenges to Democracy
• Internet can strengthen and threaten our
democracy
• By spreading democratic ideas, many
thought it would weaken authoritarian
regimes.
Restricting the Internet Access
• Authoritarian governments have implemented
“firewalls” to prevent business networks from
intruders.
• China encourages citizens to use the Internet,
however, the government strictly controls
access to the Web to many sites including
some dissident groups (people who disagree
with the established political or religious
system.
• For Americans, Internet aids the free
exchange of knowledge and ideas.
• It also empowers intolerant extremist
groups that seek to splinter society.
• The Internet also leaves citizens
vulnerable to invasion of privacy.
Digital Divide
• The Internet is becoming a necessity.
• It is a way to keep up with gathering
information and connecting with consumers.
• Almost all schools have access to the Web.
Extremist Groups
• Internet has become a tool for many hate
groups and extremist political groups.
• Internet has become a way to unite these
groups and spread propaganda.
• Al-Qaeda uses the Internet to raise money, get
recruits, and to coordinate attacks.
• Online activities such as these are nearly
impossible to shut down.
Threats to Privacy
• The government, businesses, and even
your neighbor can watch what you are
doing online.
– Be cautious with information on yourself.
– Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act
(1998) – Congress passed to protect
younger Web users.
Government Surveillance
• Because of crime and terrorism, the govt.
conducts a great deal of online
surveillance.
– To solve crimes.
– To stop terrorist attacks.
• Keep record of Internet Protocol (IP) address
• National Security Agency (NSA) has technology
that can silently monitor millions of e-mail
messages an hour.
• After 911, President Bush secretly ordered the
NSA to eavesdrop on Americans and others in
the US without getting court-approved search
warrants.
• Many feel that these “government tools” are
necessary to protect our country from terrorist
attacks.
• 4th amendment protects citizens against
“unreasonable searches”
• To what extent does this apply to internet
activities?
• 1996 Electronic Communications Act sets
forth some legal standards for protecting
online information.
• USA Patriot Act allows some protections
to be waived if lives are at risk.
Regulating the Internet
• Free speech has enabled hate groups to
fill the Internet with offensive materials.
• School boards and US Congress have
tried to control speech on the Internet.
• Filtering software can block Web sites
that might be offensive.
• Communications Decency Act made it a
crime to display indecent material over
the internet to those under the age of 18
• Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union
(1997) – The Supreme Court declared
the indecency portions of the law
unconstitutional. Free speech on the
internet.
• Other laws and court cases go back and
forth on the issue of free speech.
Limiting Free Speech in Schools
• Restrictions apply to school-sponsored
newspapers on the World Wide Web.
• Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeire
(1988) – Supreme Court ruled that school
administrators can regulate the content of
student print publications if doing so serves
an educational purpose.
Intellectual Property
• Intellectual property – things that people
create, such as songs, movies, books,
poetry, art, and software.
• Only artists who create these things has
a right to sell it or let others use it.
• Court decisions over copyrights have
developed to protect the creators of
intellectual property.
• Copyright – is the owner’s exclusive right
to control, publish, and sell an original
work.
• It is a way to prevent people from taking
or copying someone else’s creation
without permission.
• Computers and Internet make it easy to
copy and widely distribute all kinds of
intellectual property.
• File sharing – music and movies
Taxing E-Commerce
• E-Commerce involves using the Internet
for purchase and sales transactions.
• Billions of dollars are spent annually over
the Internet.
• It allows shoppers to avoid paying local
sales taxes.
• State and local governments lose out on
a prime source of revenue.
• How to tax E-Commerce? It would be
difficult and costly to Internet companies
due to the tax rates of different states.
• Efforts are being made to develop a fair
Internet sales tax.
Internet at School
• Children’s Internet Protection Act (2000) has
installed technology that blocks student access
to offensive or dangerous Web materials.
• Many schools use filtering software that allow
school officials to decide what is harmful.
• Parents have the right to know what Web sites
their children have access to and also what
Web sites their children have visited.